Conquering Hearts
by Sailor-Vela92
Summary: This takes place right after episode 10 of LoK. Night has fallen and Korra has a nagging feeling that she needs to return back to Air Temple Island despite having to hide from Amon. Korra/Lin Bei Fong.
1. Chapter 1

This is a Korra/Lin Bei Fong one-shot (currently). It takes place shortly after Amon has taken away Lin's ability to earth and metal bend.

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Korra. Otherwise Korralin would canon. XD

Night had fallen since everyone had left Air Temple Island earlier that day. Korra and the gang had escaped into the sewer tunnels while Tenzin and his family took to the skies on their sky bison.

Korra and everyone had found a find enough area to stop and rest for the night at least. Whether they'd stay there once morning came was another thing. It was late though, and as such everyone was asleep. Well, almost everyone.

Korra couldn't sleep. She tossed, turned, did everything she could to make herself comfortable. But something kept nagging her in the back of her mind. She knew Tenzin and the others would be safe, so what was there to be worried about? Regardless, she felt like something wasn't right.

Korra got up silently and made her way back to the tunnel entrance where they had first come in. She glanced back momentarily, wondering if just leaving them without so much as note was a good idea. She shrugged it off though, figuring that she'd be back before they would wake up.

Taking a deep breath, Korra leaped into the cold water. Once under the water, she bended it to create a large air bubble around her head while she swam, heading straight back to Air Temple Island.

It took her a good half hour at least to reach the island. When she got to shore, she bent the water off her clothes as to keep herself dry and hopefully make less noise if anyone was here. She quietly walked up the main path to the temple. So far there had been no signs of anyone still there. That is until she reached the clearing right before the temple.

"Chief Bei Fong!" Korra cried out, rushing over to the older woman. She was unconscious. Korra saw that her hands had been tied, and undid the knot. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened to the chief. Tears welled and in Korra's eyes and falling as she held Lin. "Why do you always have to be the hero?" she cried.

After a few moments, Korra regained her composure and, lifting up the chief in her arms, took her inside the temple. She wanted to take Lin back with to where the others were, but without Naga, there's no way she'd be able to carry Lin and swim there at the same time. So instead she carried Lin up all the up to her bedroom and laid her on the bed. Quickly finding a bowl, she filled it with the water from outside through her window and then heating it with her fire bending. She soaked a rag in the water, wringing it out, and placing it on Lin's forehead before sitting next to the bed.

_At least she's still breathing_, Korra thought, reaching out and slipping her hand into Lin's. _Though I'm a little surprised that Amon left her here since he's kidnapped everyone else… Could be that he left her as a warning for me…_

"Don't worry, Lin," Korra said softly, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "When we find Amon, I'm going to kick his ass."

Korra had always admired Chief Bei Fong since they first met, despite her harshness. She was physically strong and strong-willed. She always seemed to have some sort of plan what to do next, or where to look. But what Korra admired most about her was her courage and the honor that she held. Whenever they went up against the Equalists, the chief had never once froze or held back. Hell, she'd had risked her own life to save Korra at the Pro-Bending Arena when Amon attacked.

Korra looked over the older woman. Despite the armor that she always wore, Korra knew that her body was well-defined underneath. _Defined and strong_, Korra mentally reminded herself. She couldn't help gazing at her face though. Her face looked so relaxed while she slept. She even appeared to be peaceful.

_She really is beautiful_, Korra thought, reaching up. _I think she partially acts the she does to purposely keep others from getting close to her…_ She very lightly ran her fingers over the two scars that went across her face, feeling the textures and how the color differed from the rest of Lin's skin. She became so enamored by how it felt to touch the older woman's face, that she failed to notice that Lin had actually awakened. She silently watched the young girl for a few seconds before clearing her throat.

"Chief! You're awake!" Korra exclaimed, cheeks red with embarrassment at being caught. "How do you feel? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she answered. "What I want to know is why you're here. You and your friends were supposed to go into hiding until the United Forces show up to help fight Amon. For all you know, Amon could have been hiding here and waiting for your return!"

Korra looked down. "I know that there was a possibility that he'd be here, waiting to see if I would return," Korra said softly. "But something kept bugging me. It was telling me to come back here and make sure everything was how it should be." She paused, looking up and into Lin's pale green eyes. "And I'm glad that I did because I found you laying on the ground, tied up and out cold."

Lin sighed. "Very well, Avatar. You've done your job though; now go back with your friends. I'm sure they'll be worried when they find you missing."

"I won't go." Korra stated. "I know Amon took your bending away… I can't just leave you here by yourself."

"My well-being is no concern of yours," Lin told her sternly, almost glaring at the girl. "Now go."

"I won't," Korra replied simply. "Everyone here has been taking care of me ever since I came to Republic City, including you. You saved my life. On top of that, you've always taken care of Republic City. Maybe not individually, but you were the Chief of Police." Korra smiled at her softly. "Let someone else take care of you for once."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much," Lin stated. As she attempted to sit up in the bed, she groaned and winced in pain. She was hoping Korra wouldn't notice all that much, but she was wrong.

"See, you do need my help. You're hurt," she pointed out. "I can heal you with my water bending, but first we need to take this armor off you. How do you take it off?"

Lin looked away, avoiding Korra's eyes. "The only way to get it off is to use metal bending," she murmured.

Korra looked down as well, feeling bad for the older woman. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. "I know how much your bending meant to both you and the city." She interlaced her fingers with the older woman's. "But I believe we can get your bending back. And until than, you can teach me metal bending. I'll even take on the Bei Fong name."

Lin looked at her with wide eyes. "What are you saying?" She wasn't sure why, but her heart was pounding in her chest. Just what was Korra offering her? What was she asking for?

"I'm saying that you could teach me metal bending," Korra replied. "And….and if by some chance we aren't able to get your bending back, I'd like to take on the Bei Fong name and continue its legacy." Korra's cheeks turned pink at the thought of being known as Korra Bei Fong. "If that's okay with you."

Lin looked at her suspiciously, not sure if whether Korra really meant that as she said, or if she meant it as something more. "We'll see," she said, trying to sit up more, which only caused her more pain.

"Well you'd have to start teaching me soon if we're going to get this armor off you," Korra said.

"Fine." Lin rolled her eyes. She took hold of Korra's wrists and placed them on her armor. "Listen carefully and follow my instructions, Avatar."

"Call me Korra," she said quietly. "Please."

"Very well…Korra," Lin said. "Now than, close your eyes. Feel the metal underneath your hands, feel the earth that is the metal."

Korra nodded, having had already closed her eyes.

"Metal is refined earth, and impurities remain in the metal. It is the impurities you will be bending. There is earth in there, no matter how small. Feel the pull, and be able to push it," she went on to explain. After a few moments, she felt a tug around her waist.

"I did it! I felt it!" Korra smiled big. Even if was only a small accomplishment, it was still better than her air bending skills. Lin felt a small smile tug at her lips.

"Good. Now, keep doing what you just did a bit more. Get comfortable with the feel of the metal, how it bends under you," Lin instructed. "Than, once you're ready, I want you to bend the uniform off me. Just make sure you give me fair warning."

Korra let out a small chuckle. "I'll make sure I do."

Korra continued feeling for the earth impurities in the metal, pulling and pushing them, for about another half hour. She looked up at the woman. "I think I'm ready to try bending the uniform," Korra said softly. "I'm going to use my hands to grip the metal, I think it'll be easier that way for my first time." Lin nodded at her silently in approval, although she felt her heart racing again at the thought of Korra ripping off her uniform as if they were her actual clothes.

Concentrating and inhaling a deep breath, Korra bent the armor with her hands and started peeling it off. She had started at the shoulders and pulled down from there. It took a few tries here and there, but overall, she got it all off and discarded the armor in the corner of the room.

"Now," Korra said, smiling and standing proudly at her achievement, "let's get you healed."

She could see that Lin had a few bruises on her arms and figured that she probably had some other injuries. Sitting back down near the bed, she moved the water from the bowl she'd used earlier to the older woman's skin, where it faintly glowed silver.

"You've definitely got some bruises," she said, being able to feel for any injuries through the water. "Looks like you've also got a few fractured ribs." She frowned at that.

"You'll be able to heal all of those?" Lin asked quietly, silently observing her.

"Sure will. Katara taught me herself."

Lin nodded without saying anything else. She leaned back and closed her eyes while Korra did what she had to. Whatever she was doing, it sure felt good.

It wasn't long before Korra had finished up. Having noticed Lin's change of position while she was water bending, she didn't let the woman know she had finished. In fact, she though maybe Lin fell back asleep.

_Another chance to explore, I suppose,_ Korra thought. Under her uniform, all Lin had been wearing was a tank top and a pair of shorts. Korra very lightly ran her fingertips over Lin's legs. Moving up with her eyes, Korra could see that the older woman was indeed very strong looking. She became brave and slowly ran her hand up Lin's arm, feeling the strong muscles beneath the skin. When she reached the shoulder, she didn't stop. She moved along and up her neck, to cradle the side of her face in her hand.

_She's beautiful_, Korra thought, admiring her and brushing her thumb against the woman's cheek without thinking about it.

"So, do you do this to all your friends when you think they're asleep?" Lin asked suddenly, looking right at her.

Korra became wide-eyed and tried to pull back, but she couldn't pull herself away from the former earth bender.

"I-I… No, I don't," Korra managed to spit out, her cheeks becoming red from being caught.

"Is that right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "You and that Mako boy seem pretty close even though he's with that Sato girl. He was pretty protective over you when we finally found you."

"I used to like him, yes," Korra sighed. "But he was with Asami already, so I backed off and got over it. We did kiss once though… It was after we won the semi-finals at the pro-bending tournament. I had a victory high, thought maybe I could suddenly win him over." She shrugged. "It's his loss now."

"What made you come after me?" Lin asked softly, searching Korra's eyes.

"What didn't?" Korra smiled a little. "You have so much honor and courage; you're strong-willed… What isn't there to like?"

"The fact that I'm twice your age is what should have stopped you."

Korra leaned in a little closer. "Yes, age can make a difference, but in the age it's just a number." She reached for Lin's hands and brought them together, holding them. "I know losing Tenzin hurt. But you deserve someone who won't just up and leave you for someone else. Someone that's more than willing to take care of you and help you," she said softly.

Lin blushed at the confession. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. But what she saw in Korra's eyes was telling Lin that she wasn't lying. "And you think that someone is you?"

"Given the chance, yes," Korra said. "Think about it, we'd be an unstoppable force. No one would even want to mess with us." She laughed a little.

Lin gave Korra's hands a gentle squeeze. "Why don't we eat first," Lin suggested, a small smile on her lips.

Korra opened her mouth to say something when her stomach rumbled rather loudly. "Food it is," Korra laughed. "You stay here while I go make us something to eat. I'll bring it up when it's done." And with that, she left to prep them some food.

Lin sank back into her bed with a sigh after Korra left. _Go out with the Ava- Korra? As in be a couple?_ Lin thought to herself. _It sounds crazy… Yet, after getting to know her and spending time with her... It could be rather nice…_

Korra returned shortly after with a tray of food. She brought each of them a bowl of rice, some fish, and a pot of tea with cups for them both. Lin had given her a nod in thanks as they sat there and ate in silence, Lin in bed, and Korra seated right next to her.

When they were finished, Korra stood up to clean everything up. Lin had noticed a grain of rice that had stuck to the corner of Korra's mouth.

"Come here," Lin said softly, tugging on Korra's shirt so she would bend down. Leaning up, Lin softly pressed her lips to Korra's own. The younger of the two froze for a second, having been caught off guard before relaxing into the kiss and responding. When they both pulled back, Lin looked up into her eyes. "My answer is yes."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well, enough people really seemed to enjoy the story, and especially after the finale, I felt like I needed to continue with at least another chapter. Just as the last one happened just after episode 10, this will continue where I left off, and through the finale, giving reason as to why Lin was absent for long.

Disclaimer: Legend of Korra and characters belong to Bryke and Nick. I own nothing.

Please review when finished!

When they were finished, Korra stood up to clean everything up. Lin had noticed a grain of rice that had stuck to the corner of Korra's mouth.

"Come here," Lin said softly, tugging on Korra's shirt so she would bend down. Leaning up, Lin softly pressed her lips to Korra's own. The younger of the two froze for a second, having been caught off guard before relaxing into the kiss and responding. When they both pulled back, Lin looked up into her eyes. "My answer is yes."

"You…you really mean it?" Korra asked softly, excitement in her eyes.

Lin allowed herself to let out a small chuckle and smiled gently. "Yes, really."

"Awesome!" Korra jumped, punching the air at being able to convince the metal bender to be with her. "You won't regret it."

"I'm sure that I won't." They sat there for a short while, just staring at each other quietly, enjoying each other's company.

Korra stood up to clear the dishes again. "I'll be back shortly," she said as she headed out of the room.

Lin had nodded her silent approval. _We can't stay here_, she thought. _I may have gotten lucky with Amon leaving me here for whatever reason, but there's no reason that he wouldn't return. In fact, he just might._ With that thought in mind, Lin got up out of bed. As she reached the door, Korra was already back.

"Lin, what are you doing out of bed?" she asked, concerned. "You're not fully healed yet."

"We have to get out of here, Korra," she told her. "There's a good chance that Amon may be coming back. And if he does, we won't be able to take him on. It's still pretty dark out, so if we go now, there's a good chance we can get away."

"You're sure about this?" Korra asked. "You're sure that you're up to this?"

Lin placed her hands on her hips and looked at Korra. "Would I have suggested it if I wasn't?"

Korra smiled. "I suppose not. But you're putting your armor back on, just in case."

"Yes, mother." Lin rolled her eyes.

Picking up the armor and walking back over to Lin, she did what she could to bend it back the way it was before.

"You're getting better at this," Lin complimented.

"Well, I am the Avatar," Korra smiled. "And I had a great teacher to help me." Leaning up, she brushed her lips against Lin's cheek causing the older woman to blush furiously. "Now let's get going. There's a straight shot into the water from here. I'll bend the water up to save time walking down. Get on my back."

Lin looked at her like she was crazy. "What?"

"I said get on my back. We're swimming to the hideout. I'll need you to kick us forward, while I bend the water around us," Korra said matter of factly.

Without saying anything, Lin walked behind Korra and placed a firm grip on the girl's shoulders. Leaving no room for hesitation, Korra brought up a torrent of water and jumped in head first, her lover on her back. With Lin's powerful legs propelling them through the water, and Korra's bending making it so that they could breathe under the water, they made it to the entrance of the hideout quicker than they had earlier.

Once they were ashore and inside the large sewer pipe, Korra led Lin to where the group was waiting. Seeing as no one else was around, she reached over and laced her hand through Lin's own.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Lin asked, her face almost looking amused.

"Holding your hand, what does it look like?" Korra responded, smiling. "Don't want to lose you in these tunnels."

"And if one of your friends sees us? What will they think?"

Korra shrugged. "It won't matter what they think. If they ask, I'll explain," she said. "Unless…you don't want them to know…"

Lin stopped them and turned to face Korra. "Not that I've been one to care about what other's really think, especially when it is none of their concern," Lin started, placing her hand under Korra's chin and lifting it up, "but bringing up our relationship in the middle of a war wouldn't be a smart move. We all need to concentrate and do what we can to stop Amon." She leaned down and pressed her lips to Korra's, the younger one responding in turn. "We'll let them know after Amon is defeated. Deal?"

"Deal," Korra sighed. She briefly ran her fingers through Lin's hair, looking deep into Lin's pale green eyes, suddenly very serious. "I _will_ make Amon pay for what he has done. Not just for what he's done to all the benders so far, and for going after Tenzin and his family, but especially for going after you. And I _will_ find a way to return your bending."

"I know you will," Lin said softly, a gentle smile on her face as she cradled Korra's own.

Before anything else could be said, they heard voices down the tunnel. A chorus of "Korra!" could be heard.

"I guess your friends woke up," Lin said, raising an eyebrow.

"I guess so," came Korra's defeated reply as she let her down drop from Lin's.

"We're down here," Korra called out in the direction her friends were. Within seconds, they saw the light from Mako's fire bending and soon saw the whole group. Before anything was even said, Mako came forth and grabbed Korra in a huge hug.

"I was so worried about you," Mako said as he let her go. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, stepping back from Mako. "Everything's okay."

"Where'd you go?" Bolin asked.

"I had this nagging feeling in my gut, telling me to return to Air Temple Island, so I did. I'm glad I did, too," she said, looking up at the former chief of police.

"Wait, I thought you had left with Tenzin and his family though," Asami said. "What happened?"

Lin sighed. "When we left on Oogi, two of Amon's airships came after us. We tried to out run them, but it wasn't working. So when they tried to launch a net at us, I grabbed onto it and climbed on to one of the ships. Using my metal bending, I tore it apart," she explained. "I jumped over to the second one to do the same, but I got captured Amon's henchmen and was knocked out. When I came to, I was tied up back on Air Temple Island. I was surrounded by Amon and his men. He demanded I tell him where the Avatar was hiding. I refused to tell him, and so he took my bending away…"

Everyone became quiet after that, evening lowering their heads as a way of apologizing to the older woman for her loss. Korra had looked over to her though, pain and sadness in her eyes at what happened, as well as the longing of wanting to comfort her right there and than.

Asami was the one to break the silence. "Come on, let's get back to the camp and get some rest," she suggested. "We'll need all the rest we can get to fight Amon when the United Forces arrive." Everyone had nodded in agreement and started heading back.

Mako had fallen in step with Korra, behind Asami and Bolin.

"I was so worried about you," he whispered. "What if Amon had gotten to you?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think any of you would've woken up with it being so late and all," Korra apologized. "I'm fine though, really. I'm just glad that Chief Bei Fong is alright and is with us now."

"I'm just glad to have you back here," he admitted.

Lin watched the exchange between Korra and the fire bending boy closely. It was clear to her that he was gaining interest in Korra, despite being with the other girl. _He'll stay away from her if he knows what's good for him_, she thought.

It wasn't too long before they had reached the hideout. When they did, Asami and Bolin said their good nights and went over to their respective make-shift beds to sleep. Korra had led Lin over to where she had been resting by Naga.

"I know it's not the same as a bed, but Naga's still pretty comfy to sleep with," Korra smiled. "She won't mind."

"Thank you," she said softly, laying down and resting her head against the polar bear dog.

Korra soon say down beside the woman and brushed a stray hair out of her face since no one was looking. "Rest well," she whispered. Just as she looked up, she could see Mako heading over. She let out a frustrated sigh inside.

"Hey Korra," he said, sitting next to her. "You can't sleep either?"

"It's kind of hard to with everything going on," she said. "I mean, a few months ago I was in the South Pole practicing for my fire bending test, and now I'm in the middle of an all out war…"

"I know. We didn't even know each other back than," Mako said, looking at over at Korra, a smile starting to form. "But now? I can't imagine my life without you in it. You're the most loyal, brave, selfless person I've ever known."

_Shit_, she thought. _Now he's decided that he's into me_. "You're pretty incredible, too," she smiled. It wasn't a total lie. He was a great fire bender, but she wasn't into him at the least. "I should try to get some sleep though." She leaned away from him, seeing as he was starting to lean into her.

"Me, too," he said, hurt evident in his voice as he got up. "Good night."

"Good night," she told him as he walked away. With a sigh, she laid down against Naga, rolling over to face Lin.

Without opening her eyes, Lin said quietly, "He's got it bad for you."

Korra winced. "You heard that, huh?"

"I heard the whole thing," she told her, cracking open one eye. "I'm rather surprised that he pulled that stunt even though he's with the Sato girl. Bit of a player, isn't he?"

"It would appear so," Korra yawned. "He must think that he's hot stuff." She looked at Lin and they both started snickering at the pun.

"Go to sleep, Avatar," Lin instructed, a slight smile on her face as she punched Korra's arm.

"Hey, what was that for?" Korra laughed, rubbing the sore spot.

Lin grinned. "That's how I show affection."

"Is it now?" Korra raised an eyebrow. She trailed her hand up Lin's thigh, following the natural curves of the older woman's body, up and across her shoulder, until she was cupping Lin's cheek in her hand. She lightly stroked her thumb over her lips before leaning down and capturing them with her own. It was only for a few short seconds, but it got Korra's point across.

_Oh dear Spirits_, was all Lin could think as Korra had trailed her hand along her body and kissed her.

When Korra pulled away, she whispered in her ear, "Well that's how I show affection, Chief Bei Fong." She gave her ear a light nip before suddenly turning over, a wide grin across her face. "Good night," she said in a sing-song voice.

Korra stretching and rolled over as she woke up. It was no surprise to her to see that Lin had already gotten up and was over eating breakfast with the others. Rubbing her eyes as she got up, she walked over to them and sat down in the available seat between Lin and Mako. Bolin handed her a bowl with whatever it was the hobo from the night before had made.

"Thank you," Korra said, taking the bowl. "Why didn't anyone wake me up?" she asked, taking a bite of her food.

"We figured that we'd let you sleep in a bit after last night," Asami spoke up. "I know you probably didn't get much since you left to go to Air Temple Island without Naga."

"Ahhh, thank you for that," Korra smiled.

"So what's the game plan for today?" Bolin asked.

"We bide our time and wait for the United Forces to arrive," Korra replied. "It's all we really can do right now." She shrugged.

After everyone had finished eating, they headed outside and hid, watching out for General Iroh's fleet of battleships. There was a thick fog covering across the water today, making it difficult to see. They could barely even make out Air Temple Island.

"Once the United Forces arrive, we need to be ready to do whatever we can to help them," Korra instructed.

Looking through the telescope, Mako searched the water, looking for any signs of the fleet showing up. It wasn't very long before he saw them sailing through the fog. "They're here!" he exclaimed.

Everyone looked out and could slowly see the ships coming into view.

Korra stood and looked to the sky. "Something isn't right. There aren't any Equalist airships. Amon had to know the United Forces were coming."

Lin took the telescope from Mako and looked around at the ship docks. "There aren't any Mecha Tanks either. Something is definitely going on, and I don't like it."

With worried faces, they watched as the fleet continued to make their way towards the docks, awaiting to see what Amon was planning. A few moments passed, and that was when it happened. There was an explosion in the water, damaging one of the ships. Soon, more started going off.

"Everyone stay here," Korra told them, though she was looking straight at Lin. She mouthed the words "Stay safe" before leaping into the water towards the ships to help out.

Soon after she had left though, there were loud whirring sounds heard coming from Republic City. Lifting the telescope to her eye once more, Lin looked to see if she could find the source. Sure enough, she did. The noise was coming from chi blockers, flying through the air in their own personal planes, zipping through the skies.

They watched as the planes zipped off towards the fleet, dropping bombs as they closed in. Lin wouldn't let it show on her face, but she was concerned about Korra, especially now with the planes dropping bombs around the ships.

Korra stayed under the water as long as she could, making sure to stay away from the missiles and bombs being dropped. She only went up for air when she needed it. A few times, when one of the missiles would pass close enough by, she would use her water bending to send it back at the plane that sent it, effectively making it drop from the sky.

She used her bending skills to produce a tower of water with herself at the top. As planes few close, she created large pillars of ice in front of them, causing them to crash.

She switched back to fighting underneath the water and sending back missiles until she saw General Iroh fall in. She immediately went after him and brought him to the surface of the water.

"It's alright, I've got you," she told him.

Iroh coughed a few times, clearing out the water from his lungs. "Avatar Korra?" he said. "You saved my life. Thank you."

Without saying anything back, Korra used her bending to propel them back to where the others were waiting.

Once back at the hideout, Korra made sure to have the General sit down with the others while she went to go get some fresh water. When she turned the corner, Lin was there waiting for her.

"Jeeze, Lin, you scared me," Korra said, holding her chest. "I didn't know you were there." See motioned for Lin to walk with her.

"Apologies," Lin said, her face softening.

"Don't worry about it," Korra smiled. "What did you think about those planes though?"

"They were unexpected, that's for sure," Lin replied, leaning against the wall as Korra gathered the water she needed into a bowl to bring back. When she was done, they started heading back.

When they had joined the rest of the gang, Korra went right to work. Since Iroh's sleeve was already gone, she brought the water over with her bending, making it glow silver as she healed his burn.

"I was prepare to deal with Sato's Mecha Tanks, but not these new high speed air craft," Iroh said.

"I know," Korra said, not missing a beat as she continued healing him. "Every time we think we have an advantage, Amon out smarts us."

"Amon may be winning so far, but the war isn't over," Lin said. "We can still fight."

"Even better. There's a second fleet of reinforcements on their way here," Iroh stated, standing up. "I need to warn them though. Do you still have a way to get a message out?"

"I know just the man," Korra said, smiling. She led them to the same hobo that had been kind enough to let them not only stay with them, but make them food as well. He agreed to help out, and set up what equipment he needed to.

"And who is the recipient of this top secret message?" he asked rather excitedly.

"Commander Bumi, Second Division of the United Forces," Iroh told him. He waited until the man was ready to send out the message. "Fleet ambushed and destroyed by Equalist aircraft. Retreat to Red Sand Island until my signal. Do not approach the city until the all clear."

"Sent!" the man said as he finished. The message had been sent out using Morse code.

"Alright than, let's start planning out our attack than," Lin said, rolling out a map one of the other homeless people had allowed to borrow. "We'll need to take out those air craft, especially for when the second fleet arrives. Anyone had any idea where they might have come from?"

"It looked like they came from this direction," Mako said, pointing at an area on the map. "There's a field just on the other side of that mountain range."

"Everyone get ready. We leave at dawn," Iroh told them, turning to leave with the rest of the group.

"Wait," Korra said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not going with you tomorrow. I'm sick and tired of hiding from Amon. It's time I face him. I'm not waiting for him to hunt me down. My guts tell me it's time to end this, on my terms." She could see Lin's silent look of appraisal on her face. Seeing that, gave her hope and confidence in what she was doing.

"Korra, this isn't a mission you should be handling alone," Iroh told her.

Lin was about to step forward, but Mako had beat her to it. "She won't be. I'll be going with her."

Korra looked up at him. "You don't have to do that." There was a slight edge in her voice, though no one really seemed to catch it besides Lin.

"Yes, I do," he said.

Of the corner of her eye, Korra could see the hurt look on Asami's face as well as the annoyed look on Lin's. She sighed internally.

"My grandfather would respect the Avatar's instincts," Iroh said. "So will I."

Once everyone was in agreement on what was to go down, they each went to do what they needed to prepare. Lin, however, went straight to Korra.

"Let me go with you," she stated.

Korra sighed. She knew the Chief would want to go with, but she couldn't bring herself to allow Lin to put herself in danger like she did before. "Lin, I can't…" she whispered.

"I can still fight!" she exclaimed. She moved closer to Korra, her voice dropping, "I can still help protect you…" She had to resist the urge to make physical contact with the young girl.

Grabbing Lin's hand, she led her down one of the tunnels where no one could see or hear them. "Lin, I know you can still fight, but that's not the point," Korra told her softly. "The point is that you've protected not only me, but you protected Tenzin and his family, and you've been protecting this city." She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the older woman's waist. "Now it's my turn to protect you. I would like for you to either stay here tomorrow…"

"Korra…"

"Amon already got you once," Korra said firmly, looking up into her eyes. "I don't want to know what he'll do to you a second time, Lin. Just…please… Please do this for me…"

It broke Lin's heart to see Korra like this. To see the pain, worry, and sadness behind those pools of sapphire. She was right though. If she went with and Amon got a hold of her again, there's no telling what would happen.

"Alright, I'll stay here," Lin finally told her, wrapping her own arms around the Avatar.

"Thank you, Lin," Korra whispered, leaning up and placing a kiss just under her jaw.

Morning came sooner than expected for everyone, but especially for the Avatar. She had woken up just as the sun was beginning to rise. Quietly, she had gotten up and had gone out to the opening of the sewer, having placed a light kiss on Lin's forehead.

Korra looked around carefully to make sure that the coast was clear. Thankfully for her it was. Stepping out closer to the water, she started working on her water bending. She needed to concentrate on something, and thus chose to work on her bending skills.

What she didn't know though was that she had been silently followed. Her so called stalker stayed just inside the opening to the sewer, watching her with an almost critical eye.

They noticed as Korra switched from water bending, to earth bending. She picked up and threw large rocks into the water, created spikes from the ground below her, made stones fly out of the ground just before kicking them with a force that even rivaled the Chief's own.

Korra bent over, breathing hard and sweating. She meant to only practice, but it had turned into something way more intense. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and dropped into a stance to continue. Without warning though, she felt someone pressed behind her, their arms and legs aligning themselves along her own.

"You need to ground yourself better when earth bending," Lin said softly from behind her.

"Good morning to you, too," Korra said, smiling. "I thought you were asleep."

Lin shrugged. "I got cold."

"Pffft."

"What are you doing out this early anyways. You should be resting for later."

Korra sighed, dropping out her stance. "I can't sleep. I'm too… I don't know what the word is. My gut is telling me that it's time to go after Amon, but that doesn't mean I'm not nervous about going up against him."

Lin gently turned Korra so that they were facing each other. "Korra, you will beat him," Lin told her. "I have faith that you will defeat and restore Republic City back to what it was before."

"Do you really?" Korra asked, suddenly feeling timid.

Lin nodded. "I'm not one to waste words if you haven't noticed," she said. "It's just too bad I won't be there to see you do it."

"I almost wish you were coming with." Korra smiled a little. "But I refuse to let have a second chance at you."

"I know." Lin smiled. "I think what you need right now though is a confidence booster."

"A confidence booster?" Korra asked, tilting her head to the side. "And what would that be?"

"This," Lin stated just before quickly pressing her lips against Korra's own, wrapping her arms tightly around her and pulling her in close. Korra wrapped her arms around Lin's neck, her fingers toying with the hair at the nape of her neck. She gently nipped the older woman's lower lip, receiving a small groan in response. Hearing Lin groan like that made Korra shiver, pulling the woman closer to her. When Korra had broken the kiss to breath, Lin trailed her lips to Korra's neck and ear, placing light kisses everywhere.

"Lin," Korra softly moaned, melting against her.

Lin trailed her lips back to Korra's, kissing them softly before pulling back.

"That was one hell of a confidence booster there, Chief," Korra said, a goofy grin across her face.

"Glad to see it worked," Lin chuckled.

"You know someone could have seen us," Korra teased.

"Possibly." Lin shrugged. "That's what they would get for eavesdropping."

"Come on," Korra said, smiling up at Lin, "Let's go back inside and get something to eat. We'll need our strength."

"You two sure got up early," Bolin yawned as the two women returned from outside. "You didn't go back to Air Temple Island, did you?"

"I was pretty restless, so the Chief and I went outside to have a little sparring match," Korra said, not quite looking at Bolin.

"Has anyone made breakfast yet?" Lin asked. "We'll need to eat to keep up our strength."

"Yeah, it's over there," Bolin replied, pointing to where it was at.

The two women gave him a nod of thanks and went over to eat. It wasn't long before everyone else woke up and got ready for the day.

"Looks like it's time to get ready to go," Iroh said. Everyone had gathered around to wish their new friends good luck and a safe journey.

"I'll make you proud, Chief," Korra said confidently, placing a hand on the taller woman's shoulder. She purposely placed her hand close to the woman's neck so that she could stroke it with her thumb. "I'm going to get Amon."

"I know you will, Avatar." She nodded.

Korra walked over to Bolin. "Take Naga with you." She gave a hug to her polar bear dog. "Take care of them for me, okay?"

Once they were ready, the two groups went their separate ways, each going down a separate tunnel. Lin watched with a somewhat heavy heart. She hated staying where she was and not being able to do anything to help out. But she promised Korra that she would at the hideout, and that's exactly what she was going to do.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: So I did a bit of a time skip here. Instead of continuing from when our heroes left, it'll be the just as Korra is fighting off Amon and finds out she can air bend. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Legend of Korra and character belong to Bryke.

Please review when finished!

Mako ran as fast as he could with Korra in his arms. Amon had taken her bending away. Lucky for them, he had been able to lightning bend an attack at Amon at the last second, giving them an opening to escape.

But Amon had caught up, using blood bending to cause Mako to drop Korra. He flung Mako against the wall and ceiling before slamming him into the ground. He made Mako get on his knees, same as he had done to Korra.

Korra panicked as she saw Amon getting ready to take away Mako's bending. Without thinking, she stood up and threw a punch, despite being roughly ten feet away. But that's all it took for her to send a strong burst of wind in Amon's direction, knocking him down and sending him back.

"Impossible," Amon said, astonished.

"I can air bend?" Korra muttered, looking at her hands. "I can air bend!"

With new confidence, Korra went after Amon, giving it everything she had. "You went after Mako!" She sent a strike of air. "You went after Tenzin!" Another. "You went after his children!" Another. "You went after me!" Another. "And worst of all, you went after _Lin_!" The strike following that one sent Amon flying out the window and into the water.

She and Mako watched from window. For a few moments, the only thing that had surfaced was Amon's mask. But soon after there was a large splash as he came up using his water bending, his scars gone.

It was than that he realized he had been found out. Looking over at Korra, she could see the fear in his eyes. Before her or Mako could do anything though, he dove back into the water, and escaped.

"Damn it, he got away…" Korra cursed.

"I know, but I doubt he'll be coming back," Mako said. "Let's go find Tenzin and the others."

"They might be out front already," Korra suggested. Sure enough, once they had reached the main entrance of the arena, Tenzin and his family were safely awaiting them.

"Korra, what happened? Are you okay?" Tenzin asked right away.

"I'm fine," she answered. "But first we need to get everyone together. I'm heading over to get Lin. The others are at the air field on the other side of the mountain and should be on their way back soon if not already. I'll explain everything then."

"I'll go with you," Mako said, starting to follow her.

"No, you won't Mako," she told him. "I'm going by myself and that's that."

"But –"

"No!" she yelled at him before turning and running towards the docks to find Lin.

Korra ran through the sewer pipes in her rush to get Lin. She knew that there was no longer any danger, but she needed to be by her. She needed to be in her arms and tell her at least part of what had happened before the others found out. She needed to feel _safe_.

"Lin!" she yelled as she entered the underground encampment, breathing hard.

"Korra?" Lin asked, shocked to see her there. "What are you doing here? Where's Amon?"

"Amon is gone," she breathed. "He won't be coming back." She tried to stand up straight, but fell to her knees in pain instead.

Lin was by her side in an instant, helping her up. "What in the hell happened to you, Avatar?" she asked softly, draping Korra's arm across her shoulders and holding her up.

"I thought I said to call me Korra," she chuckled. "And it turned out Amon was a blood bender." She winced in pain. "But we need to get back to the arena. Tenzin and everyone else is waiting for us."

When everyone had been gathered, Korra explained everything that had happened since they had departed that morning. How Amon was the brother of Tarrlok, Amon planning to take away Tenzin and the kids' bending away, how he took away Korra's own bending but was left with air bending. Everything.

Lin stayed close to Korra, giving her sympathizing looks. When all was said and done, she gave Korra a meaningful look and said, "I can't believe Amon got to you, too." Of course, deep down, she really wanted to say more to her. But it wasn't the time or the place to do that. Not with everyone surrounding them with they don't even know about the two of them being together yet.

"Hey, at you unlocked your air bending!" Bolin said, a huge smile on his face. Lin turned and gave him one look, effectively telling him to shut his mouth.

Tenzin walked over to Korra. "You saved Republic City, Korra. I'm proud of you."

"But Amon got away…"

Before more could be said, the second fleet of United Forces had shown up with Bumi ready at the front.

"Great," Tenzin said sarcastically. "Now I get to entertain my brother."

They were at the Southern Water Tribe now. They had used the two flying bison they still had to fly there from Republic City. They figured that if anyone could heal Korra and give back her bending abilities, it would be Katara.

But Katara needed quiet and privacy to do that sort of work. So while she worked on Korra, everyone else sat in the other room. Tenzin and his family. Mako, Bolin, and Asami. And than closest to the door was Lin, seated next to Korra's parents.

After what seemed like an eternity, Katara finally came out. Everyone stood to hear what she had to say.

"I tried with everything in my power, but I can not restore Korra's bending," she said solemnly.

"But you're the best healer in the world! You have to keep trying," Lin begged. Normally she would keep her emotions more reserved, but at this moment she didn't care. All she wanted was for Korra to have her bending back.

"I'm sorry, there's nothing else I can do," Katara told her. "Korra can still air bend, but her connection to the other elements have been severed."

Hearing those words come from the greatest healer known, broke Lin's heart for she knew Korra had to be absolutely devastated.

Korra chose that moment to come out from the other room. She didn't say anything to any of them. She just looked at them. But Lin could feel the hurt rolling off her in waves.

"It's going to be alright, Korra," Tenzin told her.

"No, it's not," she said. She moved to grab her coat and headed outside.

Mako was about to follow when Lin stopped him. "Don't even think about it," she told him. "She's mine." Having left the room with a dumb founded expression, Lin chased after Korra. Luckily she hadn't gone that far yet.

"Korra, wait," she called out.

"Go away," Korra said, not looking at the older woman.

"If that's what you want, than I will," Lin said softly. "I just want you to know I'm here for you."

"No, I mean go away back to Republic City, and don't come back."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm not the Avatar anymore, Lin." She turned to walk away, but Lin grabbed her hand, halting her.

"I don't care if you're the Avatar or not," Lin told her softly. "When I found out that you had been taken, I was worried sick about what was going to happen to you. I even ignored the fact that I was still injured to try and find you. And today when you left to go against Amon, as much confidence and faith that I had in you, I was scared that I was going to lose you… I… I've come to really care about you, Korra."

"I can't…" Korra whispered, tears forming in her eyes as she pulled away. She climbed up on Naga and rode away without another word.

"Korra!" she called out.

She heard footsteps behind her.

"It'll take time for her to accept what has happened," Tenzin advised. "She needs time to heal."

Korra rode Naga to the top of a cliff. Getting off Naga, she walked right up to the edge, her not even hitting the snow.

_I failed everyone_, she thought. _Amon may be gone, but I can't even be the Avatar anymore. I can only air bend now…_She sat in the snow and pulled her knees to her cheek, tears still flowing from her eyes. _Most of all, I failed Lin. Of all people, she's the last one I wanted to let down in all this. She's come to mean so much to me. And I promised that I would kick the crap out of Amon for her…_

Hearing footsteps behind her, she said, "Not now, Tenzin. I just wanna be left alone."

"But you called me here," came the voice of Avatar Aang.

"Aang," she said as she turned around, a smile forming on her face.

"You're finally connected with your spiritual self," he said.

"How?" she asked, standing up.

"When we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change," he explained as all the past Avatars appeared behind him. Stepping forward, Aang placed one hand on Korra's chest, and the other on her forehead. His eyes, markings, and the areas he was in contact with began to glow.

When Korra opened her eyes, she had entered the Avatar state, rising up in a column of air. She sent out waves of all four elements, air, fire, earth, and water, before leaving the state, her eyes returning to their normal blue. Turning around she saw Lin standing there near Naga.

"Lin," she whispered before running over to her.

The older woman caught Korra in her arms and held her tightly. "I see you got your bending back," she said softly.

Korra nodded, back to be in the arms of the one she care for. "You'll be getting yours back, too. But first –" Korra leaned up and captured Lin's lips in a passion-filled kiss, wrapping her arms around her neck. Lin didn't pull away either. She was too-overjoyed to know that Korra had her bending back and would be okay.

When they had pulled away, Lin leaned her forehead against Korra's.

"There's… something that I want to tell you," she said softly, a gentle blush creeping in on her cheeks.

Korra smiled and kissed Lin lightly. "I love you, too, Lin," she admitted.

"You knew?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I knew," Korra smirked. "Or I least saw it coming."

"You little brat," Lin smiled before grabbing Korra and kissing her hard. When Lin pulled away, Korra stumbled back from it, that goofy smile plastered on her face.

"Come on, let's go tell the others," Korra said, saddling onto Naga and pulling Lin up with her.

Korra stood at the top of the dais, waiting for Lin to join her. All their friends and family stood down below at the base, looking up and watching them.

Without saying a word, Lin knelt before Korra. Doing as Aang had showed her, Korra placed her thumbs on Lin's forehead and heart. Concentrating on giving the woman she loved her bending back, Korra gave off the faint glow of the Avatar state. As soon as it had come, it was gone.

Lin stood up and was able to make all the rocks surrounding the dais float it in the air with the return of her earth bending.

Tenzin walked up to where they were, placing a hand on Korra's shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, Avatar Korra."

"I'm glad," she said. "But there's one other thing." She looked over at Lin, smiling back at her. Lin walked by Korra's side and slide her hand into hers, interlacing their fingers.

Tenzin eyed them both. "And what would that one thing be?" He wasn't sure that he wanted to know the answer.

"The Chief and I are together," Korra stated, smiling big.

Tenzin opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he was going to say something. Finally he settled on, "You know what, after all that's happened, if that's what makes you two happy, than you have my blessing."

"Thank you, Tenzin," Korra said, bowing to him.

Note: So what does everyone think? I hope it was at least decent. ^^;; As much as this was sort of following what happened in the finale, I only put parts I thought were needed instead of rewriting the_ entire_ finally for no real reason. Overall though, I hope everyone enjoyed it. If you have any comments, suggestions, etc, they are all very welcome. I thought that this was a nice way to end it/good place to stop. I am considering doing some sort of epilogue though that takes place a little bit in the future maybe. Not sure yet. But let me know if any of you are interested. :)

Note 2: Some of you might be wondering why Korra keeps calling Lin "Chief" even though she retired. In my headcanon, she does it partially out of respect, but also because Lin will always be the Chief of Police to her, and the Chief of her heart. (Corny, yes, I know).


End file.
